Talk Therapy Can Change Your Brain
Therapy causes brain pattern changes similar to those seen in people taking antidepressants.
(ERWIN WODICKA/FOTOLIA)
Studies show that people with personality disorders (a classification that covers many of the most common mental health problems) recover seven times faster with the help of therapy than they would without treatment.
When therapy works best
Therapy is particularly effective againstanxiety disorders, social phobias, andposttraumatic stress disorder, though medication is critical for treating other mental health conditions, such as panic disorder andschizophrenia.
Research suggests that talk therapy even causes changes in brain function similar to those produced by medication.
Therapy Brought Joy
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More about talk therapy
- Antidepressants Versus Therapy
- Despair, Denial: How You May Feel During Therapy
- Sharing Stock Picks With Your Shrink? Time to End Therapy
Certain types of talk therapy, namely cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy, are as effective—but not more effective—than medication for mild or moderate depressions. People with severe depression require medication as well.
"The ideal treatment in most cases is a combination of medication and therapy," says Kenneth Robbins, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Health.com adviser.
In one study of depressed patients taking medication, 70% of the patients who also received intensive interpersonal psychotherapy experienced a significant reduction in symptoms after five weeks, compared to just 51% of the patients who received only 20-minute support sessions.
Twelve months later nearly all of the patients who initially responded to therapy continued to have reduced symptoms, and the disparity between the two groups was even more dramatic. The researchers noted that interpersonal psychotherapy was "significantly more effective in increasing social functioning."
